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I’m very aware that I’m probably going to sound like an elitist photography blogger in this review. But that’s because I purposely try to aim for the absolute best when it comes to my gear. The Godox TT685 II N isn’t the best, but it’s also not at all the worst. Instead, it’s the standard. Want a radio flash? This is it. Want it cheap? You can’t do much better. Want it to be reliable? The Godox TT685 II N surely is. And when it breaks, you’ll probably just buy another.
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Too Long; Didn’t Read
The Godox TT685 II N is a curious flash that will do the job in most instances for most photographers. But if you’re a fan of having a lot of power, then this flash is pretty weak overall. And you really need fast lenses to take full advantage of what it can do because it’s so weak.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The Nikon z9 and Nikon z5 both saw this flash as the SB-900.
- Does all the things that one would require and expect of a modern flash
- Does everything a modern flash would do but far cheaper
Cons
- There’s nothing special or unique about this flash, and for the price point there probably shouldn’t be.
- If you’re used to a lot more power, then this is weak.
- Couldn’t get it to work in optical slave mode
Gear Used
We tested the Godox TT685 II N with the:
Tech Specs
These tech specs were taken from the Amazon listing
- 🌈【TT685II】: Godox never stops offering still better shooting solutions to theusers. Once again, we push further the boundary of the strongperformer TT685to optimize your shooting experience. Hearing the users’voices, the TT685ll upgraded in various aspectswhile also inheriting all the powerful features of the TT685.
- 🌈【Broader Bounce Angle】The TT685ll is upgraded with a broader tilt angle from -7° to 120°，and rotatable in 330°. It gives you more flexible bounce flash anglesand a much more efficient lighting setup process. By a twist of thelight head, then you can get a nice bounce light you desired eitheron-camera or off-camera.
- 🌈【TCM Instant Conversion】:The TT685ll is added with the TCM function to enhance your shooting efficiency.TCM allows for instant conversion from TTL to manual mode.At the same time, this function helps you lock the proper exposure value ensuring every fire with an accurate expression of light.
- 🌈【Quick-release Lock】：Like the other upgraded additions to the GodoxTTL Flash lineup, the TT685ll is designed with aquick-release lock to ensure a smooth setup,which helps you capture the next masterpiece inthe critical moments.
- 🌈【Power port brings amazingspeed and power】 With the power port, you can connect the TT685ll with an externalLithium-lon power pack as PB960（Sold separately） to boost the flash performancefor more possibilities.The TT685 will be your next workhorse forshooting real weddings, street fashion, news photography, and more.
Innovations
The Godox TT685 II N doesn’t do anything innovative. Instead it gives you a flash at a super affordable price point.
Ergonomics
Here’s what the Godox TT685 II N looks like from the front. It’s a plain Jane, standard flash with a sensor on the front and a hot shoe on the bottom. Of course, the head also tilts and swivels like most others.
On the side, you’ll find ports. These are for audio jacks and USB-C. It’s amazing that it offers USB-C when Sony’s new flashes don’t.
Here’s the back of the Godox TT685 II N. This is the business end where you will interface with the flash.
Here’s a view of what the Godox TT685 II N looks like when the flash head is down and forward. It tilts frontward, backward to a point, and all around in various directions.
Here’s a closer look at those ports. It’s astonishing to me that Sony charged 7x what this flash costs and didn’t give their own versions USB-C ports.
Of course, the Godox TT685 II N has a wide-angle diffuser. And you should totally use it!
Build Quality
Godox didn’t state or talk about any sort of weather sealing on the Godox TT685 II N. For what it’s worth though, it’s built fairly well. But I wouldn’t expect it to be able to resist a ton of rain or precipitation. That’s where Nikon’s own flashes will have this beat.
Ease of Use
The Godox TT685 II N is pretty straightforward to use overall. It’s capable of doing things like high speed sync, stroboscopic, and a lot more. The TTL output also works very well with the metering from the Nikon system. But in mixed lighting situations, you’ll probably be a bit more cautious about how things play out. In those situations, I’d probably end up overpowering the ambient lighting with the Godox TT685 II N. It can surely do that if you raise the ISO up high end up use exposure compensation.
One situation I found it to be a bit confusing with was high speed sync with the Nikon z5. I had to change a few settings on the camera to get it to work as it otherwise wouldn’t go above 1/200th. But this wasn’t an issue with the Nikon z9 at all.
However, the straightforward navigation of the menu is simple enough to understand once you carefully read what’s in front of you. The only thing that was a bit difficult to figure out was using it for infrared flash transmission. But we doubt lots of folks will do that.
Image Quality
Well, what can we say? It’s a flash. The Godox TT685 II N has image quality that you wouldn’t be able to tell apart from Nissin, Profoto, Yongnuo, Flashpoint, etc. Flashpoint by Adorama often rebrands Godox lights anyway. If anything, just know that it’s pretty weak still. If you’re using f2.8 zoom lenses, you might find that the Godox TT685 II N outputs too little light. So with that said, you’ll go for exposure compenation or put it in manual mode. If you’ve been using flashes for years though, this is nothing else. At wider apertures, it will do a pretty decent job for sure.
Extra Image Samples
From day one, the Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, lots of folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. You’re not showing what the product can do. So we have a whole section in our Extra Image Samples area to show off edited and unedited photos. From this, you can make a decision for yourself.
Unedited
Edited
Conclusions
Likes
Dislikes
- I can’t really complain I guess
- Optical slave either isn’t there or really tough to use.
The Godox TT685 II N is a standard flash. We’re not very excited by it, but we’re also not super disappointed either. It will do the job. But most of what photographers need these days has to be done by higher powered flashes. And honestly, I don’t think that the Godox TT685 II N can compete. Instead, it’s good if you need a really affordable flash.
The Godox TT685 II N gets three out of five stars. Want one? Check out Amazon.
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